EMC - Coupling mechanisms and counter-measures

An EM interference phenomenon may be summed up in Figure R27 below.

Fig. R27: EM interference phenomenon

The different sources of disturbances are:

Radio-frequency emissions
o Wireless communication systems (radio, TV, CB, radio telephones, remote
controls)
o Radar
Electrical equipment
o High-power industrial equipment (induction furnaces, welding machines, stator
control systems)
o Office equipment (computers and electronic circuits, photocopy machines, large
monitors)
o Discharge lamps (neon, fluorescent, flash, etc.)
o Electromechanical components (relays, contactors, solenoids, current interruption
devices)
Power systems
 o Power transmission and distribution systems
o Electrical transportation systems
Lightning
Electrostatic discharges (ESD)
Electromagnetic nuclear pulses (EMNP)
The potential victims are:
Radio and television receivers, radar, wireless communication systems
Analogue systems (sensors, measurement acquisition, amplifiers, monitors)
Digital systems (computers, computer communications, peripheral equipment)
The different types of coupling are:
Common-mode impedance (galvanic) coupling
Capacitive coupling
Inductive coupling
Radiated coupling (cable to cable, field to cable, antenna to antenna)
1. Common Mode impedance coupling

Two or more devices are interconnected by the power supply and communication cables .
When external currents (lightning, fault currents, disturbances) flow via these common-
mode impedances, an undesirable voltage appears between points A and B which are
supposed to be equipotential. This stray voltage can disturb low-level or fast electronic
circuits.
All cables, including the protective conductors, have an impedance, particularly at high
frequencies
If they cannot be eliminated, common-mode impedances must at least be as low as possible. To
reduce the effects of common-mode impedances, it is necessary to:

Reduce impedances:
o Mesh the common references,
o Use short cables or flat braids which, for equal sizes, have a lower impedance
than round cables,
o Install functional equipotential bonding between devices.
Reduce the level of the disturbing currents by adding common-mode filtering and
differential-mode inductors
 2. Capacitive coupling

The level of disturbance depends on the voltage variations (dv/dt) and the value of the coupling
capacitance between the disturber and the victim.
Capacitive coupling increases with:
The frequency
The proximity of the disturber to the victim and the length of the parallel cables
The height of the cables with respect to a ground referencing plane
The input impedance of the victim circuit (circuits with a high input impedance are more
vulnerable)
The insulation of the victim cable (r of the cable insulation), particularly for tightly
coupled pairs
Examples
Start-up of fluorescent lamps
High-voltage switch-mode power supplies (photocopy machines, etc.)
Coupling capacitance between the primary and secondary windings of transformers
Cross-talk between cables
 3. Inductive Couplng

The disturber and the victim are coupled by a magnetic field. The level of disturbance depends
on the current variations (di/dt) and the mutual coupling inductance.

Inductive coupling increases with:

The frequency

The proximity of the disturber to the victim and the length of the parallel cables,

The height of the cables with respect to a ground referencing plane,

The load impedance of the disturbing circuit.

Examples

Nearby cables subjected to rapid current variations (di/dt)

Short-circuits

Fault currents

Lightning strikes

Stator control systems

Welding machines

Inductors
 4. Radiated Coupling

The disturber and the victim are coupled by a medium (e.g. air). The level of disturbance
depends on the power of the radiating source and the effectiveness of the emitting and
receiving antenna. An electromagnetic field comprises both an electrical field and a
magnetic field. The two fields are correlated. It is possible to analyse separately the
electrical and magnetic components.

The electrical field (E field) and the magnetic field (H field) are coupled in wiring
systems via the wires and loop

When a cable is subjected to a variable electrical field, a current is generated in the cable. This
phenomenon is called field-to-cable coupling.

Similarly, when a variable magnetic field flows through a loop, it creates a counter electromotive
force that produces a voltage between the two ends of the loop. This phenomenon is called field-
to-loop coupling.

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